Building a garden pond in your back yard is a lot easier then you might think. For beginner ponders, garden pond kits can be purchased online and include all the necessary equipment it takes to build a professional looking pond in your backyard - without having to hire a garden contactor. All you need to do is decide what type of garden pond you want and where you want to build it. Then you can landscape it to suit your taste - adding elements such as waterfalls, fountains, bridges, aquatic plants, goldfish or Koi.
Fish or Plants - The first mistake novice water gardeners typically make is filling their garden pond with Koi and aquatic plants. However, Koi ponds and water gardens don't co-exist well. A Koi pond and a water garden are two totally different types of garden pond. Koi eat plants, so they will end up munching on all of your beautiful aquatic plants and costing you a lot of money. Secondly, a Koi pond needs to be larger then a garden pond with plants because Koi will grow regardless of the size of the pond. On the other hand, a small pond with aquatic plants can exist harmoniously with goldfish. Goldfish won't eat aquatic plants and will only grow as large as the pond size permits.
Pond Location - Where you decide to build your pond is vital to your enjoyment of it. Follow these tips when deciding on an installation site for your fish pond:
Size & Shape - The size and shape really does matter. The deeper the water the better chance aquatic plants have to root. Deeper waters make it easier for fish to hide from predators, plus they get better oxygenation and the water's balance will be better and easier to maintain. If the pond is too shallow you will also have algae issues.
| Red Attraction Water Lily | ![]() |
| Barbara Dobbins Water Lily | ![]() |
| Colorado Peach Water Lily | ![]() |
| Dwarf White Water Lily | ![]() |
| Firecrest Water Lily | ![]() |
| Helvola Water Lily | ![]() |
| Joey Tomocik Water Lily | ![]() |
| Perry's Fire Opal Water Lily | ![]() |
| Perry's Baby Red Water Lily | ![]() |
| Rembrandts Water Lily | ![]() |
| Liou Water Lily | ![]() |
| Virginia White Water Lily | ![]() |